H. Upmann 175 Anniversary Arrives in Stores

The first shipments of the H. Upmann 175th Anniversary have begun arriving in stores.

Altadis U.S.A. is celebrating the historic Cuban cigar brand’s anniversary with a Nicaraguan puro featuring a wrapper that comes from three-year-aged medio tiempo leaves—some of the highest on a tobacco plant—and which underwent a unique fermentation process where they were sandwiched between broadleaf tobaccos. This process slowed down the process and gave the tobacco a unique taste and elasticity, according to the company.

It is the creation of Abdel “A.J.” Fernandez and produced at his factory in Estelí. It is available in a single 7 x 50 Churchill vitola priced at $18, but comes in two packaging formats: traditional boxes of 10 as well as 50-count humidors containing 50 cigars, which are priced at $1,250. Of note with the humidor, it comes with slots for Boveda humidification packets as well as a Boveda Butler humidity sensor in the lid.

Both formats are limited production, with 14,750 boxes and 50 humidors produced for the release.

The H. Upmann brand was created in 1844 by Hermann Dietrich Upmann, a German banker who had gone to Cuba the year before. On the island, Upmann established a bank and bought a cigar factory, and his brand is credited with being the first to use labeled cigar boxes. Currently, there are two H. Upmann brands, the Cuban-made brand owned by Habanos S.A., and that of Altadis U.S.A., which is only sold in the United States.

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. I previously covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.